Monday

Walked down Charing Cross Rd, through all the bookshops and theatres to Trafalgar square and then to the river. The Millenium Bridge no longer bounces and I followed the River Walk, past the reconstructed Globe Theatre to Southwark Cathedral. This was most interesting with some splendid and not so splendid tombs. Had to walk much of the way back as the Jubilee line was having some problems. Tomorrow to Oxford.

Tomb of John Gower

Dreadful tomb thats OK he was a pretty dreadful poet.

Southwark Cathedral

The River Walk

Along the River

A Walk to the River

Yes, that is Mars Bar flavoured milk, disgusting or delicious - you decide.

British Museum

British Museum and about.

Yesterday after getting to London I went for a long and v. brisk walk, it was 1 degree. Ended up at the British Museum. Then did a little grocery shopping at Marks and Spencers.

Ah the shoes!

I keep on doing this as new posts because the computor keeps dropping out when I try to add to the previous one.

Despite what the blog says it is still sunday here and pretty chill although sunny. I went to the Royal Academy today to see the Byzantium exhibition and was positively seduced by the sales. I was walking down Oxford and then Regent streets and it was all an amazing sight. I went to Fortnum and Masons for some coffee and had lunch at a place called EAT. which is a string of cafe type places that do sandwiches and soup type food.

Abu Dhabi airport is small but very decorated, and absolutely packed at 2am with flights going in all directions! Camels are very popular here.

Packing

This is always a dilemna, I hold two opposing views on packing simultaneously.
Do I take everything I could possibly need so I can say "a left handed nurgle sproket adjuster, I have one here!" and kill myself with the sheer weight of equipment or do I follow the other philosophy, a small empty bag and a credit card? This has the problem that although the regions I'm travelling in are undeniably civilised they are also foreign and therefore inclined to not having the most simple and usual products that home supplies. A head cold in London sent me out for vitamen c tablets, preferably combined with garlic and if I was very lucky, horseraddish, This straightforward purchase was totally stymied by the English habit of putting cod-liver oil in everything and not being into garlic at all. Foreigners are very odd, thats what you go for but there are times when you wonder how they can possibly flourish so lacking are they in life's basic ammenities.
My usual compromise is to buy/acquire everything I think is necessary, pack it, try and lift it, then leave most of it behind. Not perhaps the most efficient process but it does allow you to think when that nurgle sproket needs adjusting that you had at least forseen that this might be a problem and had it not been for weight restrictions you would have been totally prepared.

Getting Closer

School over just Xmas to go.

Almosst There

One day left of school and then one week left to go.

Off Again

Heres looking forward to the end of the year when I'm off again, touch wood. Inspired by depression, the proximity of a credit card and the internet I decided to follow the advice of a sizzlers add and go. London, Oxford, Durham, Dublin, Rome and an add on south of France perhaps.

 

 

A few days away in Canberra.

Sound and Screen plus Old Parliament House.

Wild life, Mt Ainslie and early mornings on excursions.

Varied fare at the home away from home Carotel.

Piper at the gates of sunset.

The haunting images.

Lawrence and the Light Horse at the War Memorial.